There is a time and a place for everything

Date: 14/11/1996

How ironic that problems with his scheduled flight prevented Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Virgin Express, from speaking at last week's European Voice conference in Brussels on the future of industrial liberalisation.

And how commendable of his number two, Jim Swigart, the company's chief financial officer, to own up to this apparent PR nightmare when he took the podium in Ornstein's place. But it was not quite the public relations slip-up it seemed: Swigart explained that the only thing wrong with the scheduled Virgin service that Ornstein was booked on was the boss' failure to get to the airport on time to catch it.

Delays also troubled Carl Bildt, the EU's wonderfully-titled International High Representative last week.

He arrived a little behind schedule for his own press conference, but there were reassuring words for waiting journalists from one of Bildt's International High Assistants. The IHR would not be long, announced the IHA, adding: “He will be with you in a minute. He's just finishing off Mrs Ogata.”